Georgia Dome's final NFL game has Super Bowl significance

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

The Georgia Dome, seen here in November 1992, has been the home of the Atlanta Falcons for the last 25 years. Later this year, the building will be demolished, and the Falcons will move into the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is under construction.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

James Washington of the Dallas Cowboys recovers the football after it was fumbled by the Buffalo Bills' Thurman Thomas during the third quarter of Super Bowl XXVIII in the Georgia Dome on January 30, 1994. The Cowboys went on to defeat the Bills, 30-13.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

Kerri Strug vaults during the women's team gymnastics competition in the Georgia Dome at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta on July 23, 1996. Strug injured her left ankle following this routine but completed her second vault to clinch the team gold medal for the US women.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

Dream Team member Reggie Miller, center, flashes his gold medal as he stands surrounded by other members of Team USA during the medal presentation in Atlanta's Georgia Dome at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Standing, from left to right, are Charles Barkley, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Miller, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Shaquille O'Neal.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

On January 9, 1999, the Atlanta Falcons, led in part by running back Jamal Anderson, defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 20-18, in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons would go on the road to defeat the Minnesota Vikings and reach Super Bowl XXXIII.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson stretches for the end zone but falls short as he is tackled by St. Louis Rams linebacker Mike Jones as time runs out in Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome on January 30, 2000. The Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans, 23-16.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

Maryland celebrates after defeating Indiana to win the NCAA men's basketball championship game at the Georgia Dome on April 1, 2002.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

Connecticut's Diana Taurasi leads her teammates in celebration after winning the NCAA women's basketball championship game on April 8, 2003 at the Georgia Dome. UConn defeated Tennessee, 73-68.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Pat White throws to a receiver in the second half in a 38-35 win over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Nokia Sugar Bowl at the Georgia Dome on January 2, 2006. The game, which is held annually at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, was moved to the Georgia Dome because of damage from Hurricane Katrina.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

Ohio State center Greg Oden and Florida's (left to right) Chris Richard, Al Horford and Corey Brewer wait for a rebound in the NCAA men's basketball championship game at the Georgia Dome on April 2, 2007. Florida would win the national title, 84-75.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

Alabama's Mykal Riley makes a shot over Charles Rhodes of Mississippi State during the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament on March 14, 2008 at the Georgia Dome. Riley's last-second three-point shot would force overtime, keeping many fans inside the stadium as a tornado churned toward downtown Atlanta.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

The Atlanta Falcons take the field before the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome on January 20, 2013. It was the first time Atlanta hosted an NFC Championship Game.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

An injured Kevin Ware of the Louisville Cardinals cuts the net after his team defeated Michigan, 82-76, in the NCAA men's basketball championship game at the Georgia Dome on April 8, 2013.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

The Georgia Dome hosted several soccer matches, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal game between Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago on July 20, 2013.

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Photos:The Georgia Dome: A look back at 25 years of sports history

Confetti fills the Georgia Dome as Alabama celebrates a 24-7 victory over Washington in the College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal on December 31, 2016.

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Story highlights

Sunday's Packers-Falcons NFC Championship game is the final NFL game in the Georgia Dome

The Atlanta Falcons have played in the stadium since 1992

(CNN)The NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons is Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET, and the noise level from football fans at the Georgia Dome likely will be at an all-time high.

It also will be the last time for Falcons fans to make that noise in the stadium.

After 25 years, the Falcons will say goodbye to the Georgia Dome, and the building's final NFL game is a big one. The winner advances to Super Bowl LI in Houston.

The Georgia Dome's final event -- Monster Jam -- is scheduled for March 5. Later this year, the building will be demolished. In its place, current plans are for a surface parking lot and green space.

What will remain is a spot jam-packed full of memories.

Major events and a natural disaster

The Georgia Dome opened in 1992, and it's been the site of several moments in sports history.

It's been the home of the Falcons, Georgia State University football, the annual Peach Bowl and the Southeastern Conference Football Championship. It also temporarily was the home court for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks in the late 1990s while nearby Philips Arena was being built.

The stadium housed two Super Bowls. In 1994, the Buffalo Bills fell to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVIII, losing their fourth consecutive title game. Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 had a dramatic finish, in which Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson was tackled just short of the goal line, giving the St. Louis Rams the victory.

One of the most iconic moments in US Olympic history took place at the Georgia Dome in 1996 when an injured Kerri Strug, later diagnosed with torn ligaments in her ankle, courageously nailed her second vault to help the American women win gymnastics team gold for the first time. The 1996 Dream Team won gold in men's basketball, while the American women's basketball team won gold as well.

The Georgia Dome hosted three NCAA men's Final Fours, with Maryland (2002), Florida (2007) and Louisville (2013) winning those national championships. It also was the host for the 2003 NCAA women's Final Four, with Connecticut winning the title.

The Georgia Dome on December 31, 2016. The final NFL game in the stadium will take place Sunday, as the Atlanta Falcons host the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

Additionally, the history of the Georgia Dome is tied to two big natural disasters. In January 2006, the Sugar Bowl, which is held annually at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, was moved to the Georgia Dome because of damage from Hurricane Katrina. In what was a de facto home game, the Georgia Bulldogs were stunned by the West Virginia Mountaineers, 38-35.

On March 14, 2008, a men's college basketball game at the Georgia Dome that went into overtime might have saved lives. Alabama and Mississippi State were facing off in the SEC tournament, and a three-point shot by Crimson Tide guard Mykal Riley forced the extra period, keeping spectators from heading toward the exits. A tornado hit downtown Atlanta a few minutes later. There was extensive damage in the area, including at the Georgia Dome, which forced that game and the rest of the tournament to finish at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Sunday's championship game kicked off as Atlanta was under a tornado watch. The watch, which included parts of Georgia, Florida and Alabama, followed several storm-related deaths, including 12 in Georgia, overnight Saturday into Sunday.

When it comes to the Georgia Dome, there also are personal memories for CNN's Coy Wire, who played three years for the Falcons. Wire's final game of his NFL career was at the Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011, when Atlanta lost to the Packers in the divisional round. Several of his former teammates still play for the Falcons, and he says they know a win means more than a Super Bowl berth.

"They're also cognizant of the fact this is the last game to be played in the Georgia Dome, and that's important to them as well," Wire said. "They know what a win there under these circumstances would mean, not just to the organization, but to this city. They're well aware of that, and it's certainly adding to the motivation that they already have for this moment."

Final Falcons chapter

The Georgia Dome wasn't the original home for the Falcons -- the team played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium from 1966-1991 -- but it has seen the most success.

Atlanta had 10 winning seasons and reached the playoffs nine times at the Georgia Dome. At Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which was demolished in 1997 and is now a parking lot, the Falcons reached the playoffs just four times and had six winning seasons.

"We're excited to have the official last game of the @GeorgiaDome here with our fans and our city."-DQ

The Georgia Dome's NFL playoff history started on January 9, 1999, when the Falcons defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-18 in the divisional playoff round. Atlanta would go on to advance to its only Super Bowl, losing to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.

Atlanta hosted the NFC Championship Game in 2013. But the home team missed out on reaching Super Bowl XLVII, with the Falcons losing to the 49ers, 28-24.

Last week, the Falcons, seeded No. 2 in the NFC, defeated the Seattle Seahawks 36-20 in the divisional round. When the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys were upset by the Packers a day later, that shifted the road to Super Bowl LI to go through Atlanta.

At the place that's been their home for the last quarter century, the Falcons could end their tenure in the Georgia Dome with a historic win.

We planned a lot of ways to send the Dome out the right way, but sometimes things just take care of themselves! #NFCChampionship#RiseUp

"I think anybody who was in that environment last Saturday night, that's the loudest I've ever heard the Dome," Quinn said. "And I said, 'All right, that fired me up to know that we're going to bring the same energy they are.' So for us to hear that, that pumped me up beyond belief to say that's as loud as they heard it ... If that's as loud as it can get, there's only one challenge out there then.

"We hope that same commitment is happening (Sunday). Can we turn it up again?"